Uncle Zhong didn't argue with him. Instead, he told Wu Yao to carry a basin of water and walk out of the pawnshop.
"Since you want everyone to judge, I'll let everyone see clearly!"
"You claim your jade statue looks like mutton-fat jade. Dare you put it into the water?" Uncle Zhong pointed at the basin on the ground and said coldly.
"What for?"
The scholar hugged the jade statue tightly in his arms and stared at Uncle Zhong warily. "What trick are you trying to play?"
Uncle Zhong said calmly, "What are you afraid of? It's just a basin of clean water. As long as you put the jade statue into the water, we can tell whether your jade is genuine or fake."
The scholar was skeptical and didn't dare to let go.
Uncle Zhong added, "You wouldn't be afraid to test it because you know the jade is fake, would you?"
A square-faced man beside them hesitated and said, "I seem to have heard that mutton-fat jade can be tested with water, but I'm not sure if it's true..."
The scholar scolded him, "How dare you talk when you're not sure? If you damage my jade statue, will you compensate me?"
The man shrank his head back timidly and said nothing.
"I'll compensate."
Uncle Zhong said loudly, "Put your jade statue into the water. If there's any damage, our Wanfu Inn will compensate you with a thousand taels of silver."
A thousand taels...
The surrounding commoners burst into an uproar and started whispering among themselves.
"So expensive?"
"Indeed! It's mutton-fat jade after all!"
"This pawnshop is really rich. They're willing to offer a thousand taels just like that..."
Someone advised the scholar, "Just put it in. What are you afraid of? You'll get a thousand taels just for putting it in the water!"
The scholar's eyes flickered, but he remained silent.
The people around gradually grew impatient. "Why is he even afraid to put it in a basin of water?"
"Exactly! They've already said they'll compensate him with a thousand taels. Why is he still afraid?"
"His jade statue can't be fake, can it..."
The scholar's face flushed red, and sweat broke out on his forehead. He gritted his teeth and said, "Of course I dare. What's there to be afraid of! I'd like to see what trick you can play under everyone's noses!"
He slowly lowered the jade statue into the water.
The water covered the statue.
Everything remained calm.
The water in the basin neither changed color nor boiled. There wasn't even the slightest ripple.
The jade statue, too, lay quietly at the bottom of the basin without any change.
The scholar picked up the jade statue from the basin and laughed heartily. "I've put it in. So what? Mutton-fat jade is mutton-fat jade. Can it change its type just because it's been in the water?"
Uncle Zhong grabbed his hand. "Wait a minute."
"What? Do you want to go back on your word?" the middle-aged scholar said arrogantly.
Uncle Zhong smiled faintly. "Do you know why mutton-fat jade is called mutton-fat jade?"
"What?"
The scholar was stunned.
Uncle Zhong's voice rang in his ear. "It's because this kind of jade is sticky and waxy, with extremely high oiliness. It feels warm and smooth to the touch, just like pure white grease. That's why it's called mutton-fat jade."
He snatched the jade statue from the scholar's hand and patiently showed it to the people around. "Everyone, come and take a look. The water marks on this jade statue are so obvious, and it has no oiliness at all. How could it be mutton-fat jade!"
The square-faced man who had spoken at the beginning seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly nodded. "Yes, yes, that's exactly what it means! My wife's cousin's family sells jade. I heard him say that the simplest way to identify mutton-fat jade is to put it in water!"
Everyone looked at Uncle Zhong's hand and indeed saw that the jade statue was covered in water stains and wasn't transparent or smooth at all.
Uncle Zhong took back the jade statue and slapped it on the scholar's chest. "Mutton-fat jade is said to leave no trace after being in water. It's not like this!"
The scholar instinctively caught it and stared blankly at the water droplets on the jade statue.
Uncle Zhong said coldly, "The stones from Liangzhou can imitate the appearance but not the essence. What's real can't be false, and what's false can't be real. We've offered ten taels for this stone in your hand, which is already an incredibly high price!"
The scholar blushed with shame. He turned around and squeezed into the crowd, running away.
Uncle Zhong gave a subtle look, and Lu Ping quietly followed him.
...
"Ma Wu? Who is he?"
Prince Ning stood in a corner of the pawnshop's yard and asked in a low voice.
He didn't want Princess Ning to know about these sordid matters, so he kept his voice very low.
"He's a scoundrel in the market." Uncle Zhong replied, "He has no proper occupation. He just hangs out with three or five people in the Western Market. Sometimes he deals in fake antiques."
Prince Ning frowned. "This doesn't sound like the kind of person Chen Jinde would associate with..."
"I've sent Lu Ping to find out." Uncle Zhong still stood there with his hands hanging down. "The steward of the Chen Mansion has a nephew who indulges in all kinds of vices. It was this nephew who found Ma Wu a few days ago."
"We don't know what they talked about. All we know is that the nephew got drunk yesterday and shouted that he must teach our pawnshop a lesson."
Prince Ning stood there for a moment and said softly, "Old Chen, what should I say about you?"
The position of the Imperial Academy Jijiu is so noble.
But all he could find were such scoundrels to do such despicable things.
"Even if he wants to compete with Wanming, is this all he can come up with? Is this the best he can do?"
Prince Ning sighed softly. "Look at his popularity. He doesn't even have a colleague to help him. I'm afraid the Chen family's luck is about to run out."
Uncle Zhong stood quietly beside him, saying nothing.
Prince Ning sighed twice more and then turned around and walked into the back hall.
After the incident of the mutton-fat jade, the pawnshop's reputation for being rich and knowledgeable had spread. Next, real business would surely come!
...
After hearing about the great deeds of her father-in-law and mother-in-law from Wu Yao, Li Wanming couldn't help but be deeply impressed.
"Amazing! They can even tell the difference between the stones from Liangzhou and mutton-fat jade!"
Wu Yao was extremely proud. "Of course! Yesterday, our chief appraiser didn't let any of those messy things slip by!"
Chief appraiser...
Wasn't she just supposed to be a consultant?
In just one day, she had become the chief appraiser!
Moreover, it seemed that everyone was convinced!
Li Wanming instantly felt a deep admiration for her mother-in-law.
Xiao Jingnan also said with a smile, "See, I told you Mother would be fine!"
Li Wanming looked at the crowded Wanfu Pawnshop and nodded. "Yes, I underestimated Mother. I didn't expect her to handle such a chaotic situation so properly yesterday."
The opening of the pawnshop yesterday had been widely publicized. Later, the news that someone had come to make trouble had also spread. Now, people in the nearby streets all knew that the chief appraiser in this pawnshop had a sharp eye and offered fair prices. They were all willing to bring their things here to be pawned.
Even if they couldn't pawn their things, they were willing to listen to the shopkeeper for a few more words and learn some methods of distinguishing gold, stones, and jade.
The shopkeeper was kind and spoke nicely, so everyone was willing to come and listen to him.
Li Wanming walked around the shop and found that there was no place for her to stand.
She had no choice but to go to the back hall, only to find that the back hall was even busier than the counter...